We're A Family
by xoxomolls
Summary: "You're our family. We are a family." Artie/Rachel friendship mostly. Also Faberittana, Cherryford, Hummelberryjones, Samchel, and Tina/Rachel friendship. Puckleberry friendship/ possible romance. Read and review!
1. The Meeting

**I don't own Glee.**

The tiny brunette sat on the ground and leaned against the wall of the choir room. Tears were streaming down her face but she didn't bother wiping them away. Her shoulders shook with the force of her silent sobs and her hands were clutched together tightly.

"Rachel?" She heard a voice ask and she looked up in fear before remembering her current state and switched to being embarrassed.

"Hey Artie."

The boy in the wheelchair rolled forward until he was right in front of her and looked down at the small girl, concern clearly written on his face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, taking in her red eyes, teary face, and hair pulled carelessly into a bun at the side of her head.

Rachel ignored the question and stood up, brushing imaginary dirt off her jeans. That also worried Artie. Usually she wore skirts and cardigans, now she was in a faded grey sweatshirt and dark blue jeans with holes in the knees.

"I'm sorry, Artie, did you need the practice room? I'll just go somewhere else. I didn't mean to disturb you," She said quietly walking past him.

Artie reached out and grabbed her hand, causing her to stop.

"Rachel, talk to me. I've never seen you cry before. And frankly, I'm a little worried. Come on, you can trust me," He told her, lacing his fingers with hers as she turned back towards him. Tears were falling again, and she reached up a hand to brush some away.

"Finn cheated on me. And everyone hates me. My dads are never home and Shelby didn't want me. I just… I want someone to care. I don't know why I'm never good enough." More tears rolled down her cheeks as her voice got louder.

Suddenly, her eyes darkened and she looked at him in fear, "I'm sorry, Artie. I have to go. I just remembered I have to do something."

Artie tightened his grip on her hand and tugged as she tried to leave. The force caused her to trip and land on his lap. Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment, but he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him. Somehow the loving gesture caused something in her to break and she started to sob, clutching his shirt and burying her face in his neck. He stroked her hair and rubbed soothing circles on her back while she cried.

Eventually, her sobs subsided to occasional sniffles, but she made no move to change her position.

"Rach, you are one of the sweetest people I've ever met. Sure, sometimes you get a little overbearing, but so does everybody else. We all have our flaws and sometimes people don't accept them. But we all care about you. Glee club wouldn't exist without you. It would have fallen apart a long time ago. We all love you. You are the glue that keeps us together. You defend everyone, no matter how mean they are to you. Finn is an idiot. To be honest, I don't recognize you when you're with him. You change yourself to try to please him and you don't need to. Your dads and Shelby don't know what they are missing. And you are amazing. They are the ones that need to change. You are the only one besides Tina who realized that it meant a lot to me to ride to sectionals with you guys. Don't change yourself because you are perfect just the way you are. Rach, you're special. Don't forget that," Artie finished with a smile as he looked at her with soft eyes. She grinned back and wrapped her arms around his chest. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Thanks, Artie," She whispered before standing up off his lap and sitting down on a seat in the front row. It was almost time for glee. He rolled next to her and told her the story of his date with Tina from the previous night. By the time the glee club started entering the room, they were both holding their sides and laughing. They got some curious looks, but just smiled in return.

Her laughter suddenly died as Finn walked in with a smirk on his face. She could feel the start of tears returning and then she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and she looked at Artie, taking in his concerned expression and gentle smile.

Finn walked to the front of the room after telling Mr. Schue that he had something to say. Getting a nod back, his smirk widened and he looked around the room before speaking.

"I just wanted to say that I think we should kick Rachel out of glee. She doesn't do anything for us and I have realized that she's a selfish brat. I dumped her. You don't have to pretend to like her anymore to keep me happy," He said, grinning at them as though he was proud of himself.

Artie felt Rachel freeze before her shoulders started to shake with the force of her sobs. They were silent, but he felt his heart break for the tiny girl beside him. His arm tightened as he brought her closer and kissed her temple softly. He heard the gasps of shock echo through the choir room as Mr. Schue stood there with a look of panic crossing his features. Suddenly, chaos erupted.

A slap echoed throughout the room and Finn clutched his cheek as Santana glared at him with her fists clenched.

"Listen here, Finnocence, Rach is a better person than you will ever be and you need to back off before I go all Lima Heights on your pathetic self." She shouted before kicking him in the shin and walking over to her best friend.

"Are you okay, Rachie?" Brittany asked, hugging Rachel sweetly.

"I'm okay, Britt. Thanks ,Tana." She replied with a small smile. Puck and Mike stood up and walked over to Finn, glaring at him.

Puck cracked his knuckles as Mike crossed his arms over his chest menacingly, "We all love Rach. She's a sweetheart who would do anything for you. And you treat her like crap. What did you do this time, huh? How did you finally break her?"

"He's a cheater," Artie piped up, glaring at the tall quarterback. He rolled over to Puck and Mike, allowing Santana to take his place of comforting Rachel. The cheerio wrapped her arms around the tiny singer and rocked back and forth while Brittany played with her hair.

Finn sneered at the club, "Why do you care all of the sudden? This is Rachel Berry! The girl no one likes. The girl that everyone hates and slushies on a daily basis. None of you can stand her! And besides, if she would have been a better girlfriend, I wouldn't have had to go look for pleasure elsewhere."

"Aw heck to the no! White boy better not be talking bout my girl like that!" Mercedes yelled, getting to her feet while threatening to cut him, Kurt quickly standing up also.

"Look, Frankenteen, Rachel was the perfect girlfriend. My Diva did nothing but cater to your every wish. And you treated her like crap. She deserves to be happy and you never gave her that. Stop putting her down. She didn't do anything wrong. If anyone was wrong, it was you," Kurt stated, placing his hands on his hips and looking up at Finn in disgust. He crossed the room to Rachel and hugged her before walking back to Finn and daintily leaving a perfect red handprint on the other side of his face to match Santana's.

"Finn," Quinn started sweetly, walking over to the group in front of the piano, "Who did you cheat on Rachel with?"

He grinned at his ex-girlfriend and replied, "That redhead on the Cheerios. Lacey Smith, I think. Why?"

She smiled at him before punching him in the nose and turning around to look at the other two glee-cheerios, "San, Brit, you want to come help me deal Lacey?" They both nodded and with final hugs to Rachel, they linked pinkies and were out of the room.

Sam and Matt, who had transferred back, both wrapped their arms around Rachel and whispered that it would be okay before joining Puck and Mike by the piano. By now, Finn was getting scared. And Mr. Schue had gone to get Ms. Pillsbury with a last panicked glance at the teenagers.

The rest of the group was brought out of their yelling when they heard frantic short breaths from Rachel as she struggled to get air into her lungs. She clutched her throat as her face took on a white tint.

Tina ran over to the crying girl and cupped the diva's face in her hands, "Rach, sweetie, I need you to stop crying, okay? Take a deep breath. Come on, honey, breathe with me. You're having a panic attack. You need to calm down. Ssh, its only me. You're safe. I need you to breathe. Come on, Rach, breathe."

Puck rushed towards the midget diva and stroked her hair as she calmed down. He kissed her head and held her close, breathing a sigh of relief. Tina stepped back and leaned into Artie's embrace, worry coating both of their features. The rest of the group was still huddled around a bleeding Finn as he cursed at them.

"Noah," Rachel whimpered, shivering as she burrowed into his chest. Matt quickly shook off his jacket and wrapped it around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he did so. He knelt beside her and rubbed her back slowly.

"'I'm here, babe." Puck answered tightening his arms around her. He brushed her hair out of her eyes and smiled down at her as she curled into him. Suddenly, his phone rang and he looked at Sam with a question in his eyes. The blond nodded and sat down next to him as Puck transferred the shivering girl to his lap. Sam hugged her lightly as Puck stood up and retrieved his phone from his pocket. He heard arguing before the teen turned to the group sadly.

"Ma wants me home. I'm sorry, babe. I'll call you later. I have to watch my sister while she goes to work," He informed them, giving Rachel one last kiss on the head and sprinting out the door, glaring at Finn on the way out.

Finn, seeing that he was severely outnumbered, ran out the door in the opposite direction as the angry boy with a Mohawk.

It was silent except for Rachel's occasional sniffle and Sam's soothing words. The group all gathered around the tiny singer protectively, showing their support. She looked up at them, and a small frown crossed her lips.

"Why are you all being so nice? I thought you hated me?" She questioned softly.

The three cheerios walked into the room and having heard her question began to explain at once. Soon, everyone was talking over one another. Eventually, Santana's voice rose over the rest and everyone quieted to listen.

"Rach, you may irritate the heck out of us sometimes. But so do I. So does everyone in here. And we are the only ones allowed to tease you about it. You're our family. We are a family. We all love you, baby girl, and you can't get rid of us. Finderella was out of line and now he's out of the family. And once you're out, you're out," She shrugged and took Rachel's hand with a grin. Everyone nodded in agreement and Artie winked at Rachel, causing her to laugh.

Once the giggling died down, Rachel turned to the group with a shy smile, "Would you like to have a glee sleepover? I just don't want to be alone right now…"

Mike smiled at the girl, "Of course, Rach. That'd be awesome." After getting various sounds of agreement from the rest of the group and texting Puck to let him know of their plans, they broke into groups to leave the room. Soon, it was just Sam, Quinn, Artie, Santana, Mike, Brittany and Matt. They all turned to look at Rachel.

Matt wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her cheek, "We will be over in a couple hours. Call me if you need me. I love you, baby."

"Bye Matty," She replied with a smile. Rachel turned to Mike and hugged him, "Bye Mikey. I love you both. Get San and Britt home safe please." She turned towards the two best friends and wrapped them in a hug. She felt Brittany kiss her head as they parted.

Santana cupped her face, "Don't do anything stupid. We love you. And Finnocence is a douche. You're better than him, baby girl." She linked pinkies with Britt and held Mike's hand on her other side with Matt on Brittany's and they were gone.

Quinn stepped forward with watery eyes, "I am so sorry, Rach. I haven't always treated you the best, but I really do love you. You're one of the best people in here." She hugged the tiny brunette and wiped a tear from her eye, muttering about allergies.

Rachel laughed and looked at Sam. He grinned before wrapping his arms around her waist and spinning her around as she giggled. "Rach, I love you. Be careful getting home. Quinn and I will be at your house later with food. We'll pick up Kurt and Mercedes on the way."

"I love you guys. You are so sweet. Be safe. Bye Sammy. Bye Quinn," She waved to them and they interlaced their hands and left.

The diva turned to her last companion with a smile. She walked behind him and gripped the wheelchair, pushing it forward.

"Thanks, Rach. I told you they love you. Do you need a ride home?" Artie asked, twisting around slightly to look at her.

"That would be great, Artie. Thank you. And it's no problem. We can go to your house first and then you can come with me and help me set up for the sleepover if you want," Rachel replied.

"I would love to," He grinned at her.

And they waited outside until his dad arrived, laughter echoing through the empty parking lot.

**Read and Review :) I love you guys**


	2. The Sleepover

Artie and Rachel were sitting on the couch in the Berry's living room, Artie's wheelchair by the kitchen, when the doorbell rang. Rachel jumped up and hurried to the door, throwing it open to reveal Sam and Quinn with interlaced hands, Mercedes and Kurt standing behind them. They were each laden with bags and smiling at the tiny brunette. She grabbed some of the bags and made her way to the kitchen, calling over her shoulder at the group to follow.

Rachel set the bags down on the counter and the others quickly followed suit. She turned to face the newcomers with a warm smile.

"Hey guys."

They all greeted her with hugs and smiles when there was a knock on the door.

Rachel wiped her hands on her jeans and started to turn away, calling over her shoulder, "I'm gonna get the door. Make yourselves at home. Can you get the snacks onto the table? Thanks!"

She opened the door and was met with Matt and Tina carrying sodas. Grinning at them, she peered behind them before frowning, "Where's Brittany?"

Matt opened his mouth to reply when they heard a squeal of "Rachie!" and Rachel found herself on the ground with a squirming blond lying on top of her.

"Hey Britt." The brunette laughed as the cheerio wiggled happily and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Matt grinned and set his sodas on the floor before reaching down to pull Brittany off of her. Once she was set on her feet, he reached down and gently tugged Rachel up and into his arms. He hugged her tightly, swaying back and forth. He released her and reclaimed the soda before leading Brittany, who now had the soda Tina was carrying, to the kitchen.

"Just set them on the table," Rachel called before turning to Tina and hugging her. The Goth grinned at her and winked before making her way to Artie and plopping herself on his lap. She smiled at them and was about to ask where everyone else was when the doorbell rang again.

Suddenly, the door was flung open and Santana strode in, dragging Mike behind her. She held up a handful of movies, "What up, sexy peeps? I brought the entertainment!"

Rachel raised an eyebrow, "Tana, how did you get in my house?"

The Latina scoffed at her, "Seriously? You hide your key under the mat. Duh. Sorry to burst your bubble, babe, but it's not that creative."

"Hmph, what movies did you bring?"

"Saw, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Final Destination," The Cheerio grinned maniacally, "Are you scared, midget?"

Rachel glared at her and crossed her arms over her stomach, "Of course not," She replied indignantly.

Still grinning, Santana bounced over and wrapped her arms around her fellow brunette and kissed her on the head before skipping to the living room and setting up the TV. Rachel rolled her eyes but kicked the door shut and winked at Mike as he followed Santana onto the couch.

As the tiny brunette turned around, she tilted her head at the sight in the kitchen. Quinn and Sam were setting up the table while Matt and Brittany scavenged her cabinets for cups and snacks. But the weird part was Kurt sitting on the floor and holding hands with Mercedes, with both of their eyes closed and they appeared to be chanting.

"Sammy!" She called to the tall blond in a quiet voice. He turned towards her with a smile and she inclined her head towards her fellow divas on the ground. A look of amusement and confusion crossed his face before he shrugged and turned back to Quinn. Rachel kneeled next to Kurt and asked him what he was doing. He shot up and a high pitched scream made it's way out of his throat, causing Mercedes to jump and scream too. Rachel clutched her sides and laughed as they both put their hands on their hips and glared at her.

"If you must know, we are mourning the loss of my Prada scarf. It took an unfortunate dive into the pool after my idiotic stepbrother decided to test it's ability to float," Kurt replied dryly. Rachel flinched at the mention of her ex-boyfriend and the boy laid a hand on her shoulder apologetically, "Oh sweetie, he isn't worth it."

The brunette nodded at her fellow divas as a knock sounded at the door. She gave the group a weak smile and went to greet the newcomer.

As she opened the door, she was swept off her feet by strong arms. She wrapped her arms around Puck's neck and laughed as he spun them around. She was placed back on the ground and he kissed her on the forehead with a gentle smile.

"Hey Rach," he whispered. She grinned and took his hand, leading him into the house. He dropped her hand to wrap an arm around her shoulders and tug her closer as they walked to the living room, where everyone was gathered.

Rachel clapped her hands to get their attention, "Is everyone here?"

There were cheers and she took that as an affirmative. Matt and Brittany were cuddled together in an armchair, with Mike and Santana in the couch next to them, fighting over the remote and which final destination movie was the funniest. Rachel was momentarily stunned and amused when she realized that were talking about a horror movie and not a comedy, but just smiled as the Asian leaned down and kissed his girlfriend's nose. On the second couch, Sam and Quinn were holding hands and whispering quietly to each other on one side with Kurt and Mercedes still mourning the loss of the boy's scarf on the other. Rolling her eyes, Rachel turned to Tina and Artie, who were next to Mike and Santana on the couch. The Goth's head rested on Artie's shoulder as he grinned down at her. Puck was sprawled on the loveseat, smirking at Rachel.

The tiny diva opened her mouth to speak when the doorbell rang, breaking everyone out of their conversations. She smiled, "It's probably just the pizza boy. I'll get that. Tana, can you set up the movie?" The Latina nodded proudly, making Rachel roll her eyes.

Heading towards the door, the brunette grabbed the money on the table to pay for the pizzas and was surprised to see Finn was standing in front of her. Slipping the money into her shorts pocket, she looked at him expectedly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to tell you that I forgive you. And I think we should go out tonight." He told her smugly and reached for her hand.

Rachel looked from him to their linked hands and back to Finn.

Ripping her hand away, she glared at him, "Are you a total idiot? I want nothing to do with you. We are done. Forever, now get out of my house," She told him, trying not to draw attention to them.

His expression changed so fast she might've missed it if she blinked. A sneer overtook his face and he roughly grabbed her arm, hauling her outside and closer to him. She looked at him fearfully.

"Let me go, Finn."

He just smirked and tightened his grip.

"You're hurting me!" Rachel squealed, trying to get away from him. She tugged her arm, but he only squeezed harder. She yelped again, clenching her fists in pain.

"Listen here, I gave you everything. You owe me. I put up with your little stunts and selfishness and you don't get to end it," Finn told her, emphasizing his point by shaking her.

She winced and tears leaked out from her eyes.

"Noah!" She screamed, shoving at Finn's chest, "Help!"

She heard a rush of footsteps and then gasps of shock. She opened her eyes and found most of the guests looking at her worriedly.

"Hudson, let her go," Puck growled at him while the other club members glared. Finn just smiled at them threateningly and tugged Rachel closer while tightening his grip. The small brunette's skin burned where his hand was and she looked pleadingly at Noah. When Finn looked up and saw that the boys were quickly approaching them, he shoved Rachel forward and she tripped, hitting her head on the door and collapsing into Noah's arms. He gently handed her to Artie, who Tina had rolled from the living room. The wheelchair-bound gleek cradled her in his arms, resting her head against his neck. Tina ran a hand through the girl's hair soothingly.

Racing after Finn, Puck tackled him to the ground. Matt, Mike, and Sam following. When they reached the two, blood was already pouring out of Finn's nose for the second time that day while Puck was hitting anywhere he can reach. Matt and Mike hauled the mohawked boy up while he struggled against them. Sam leaned forward, aimed a final kick to Finn's stomach and proceeded to spit on him.

Santana sauntered up to them with a wicked smile, "Finnocence, don't ever touch my best friend again," She brought her knee up between his legs and grinned in satisfaction as he crumbled again.

Quinn also stepped forward, "Leave Finn. And don't come back. Or we'll let Puck go."

The bruised and beaten teen looked around and then limped to his car, giving them all one last glare and driving away.

They all went back inside, locked the door, and walked to the couch, where everyone had gathered. Rachel was conscious again but her face was scrunched up in pain. Tina was dabbing at a large cut on the side of her head with a cloth while Kurt bandaged her wrist where Finn's nails had made deep marks. Her face was already starting to bruise from the door and everyone pretty much wanted to kill Finn. She was still sitting on Artie's lap with his arms wrapped around her waist tightly and his face buried in her hair. Everyone knew how close he was to the small brunette after their interaction in Glee. They could all see the rage in his eyes. Rachel placed her hands over his and squeezed gently, showing him that she was fine.

A soft whimper was heard and everyone turned to the tall blond Cheerio who was watching with tears falling down her cheeks and her hands clenched together.

"Brit, come here," Rachel requested holding out a hand for the girl. The blond shuffled forward and plopped down next to the brunette on the couch and took her hand.

The young diva smiled at her softly, "What's wrong?"

Brittany sniffled and wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket, "You're bleeding. Rachie, I don't know why Finn did that. You're sweet. I love you Rachie."

Rachel smiled and wrapped her arms around the blond. Brittany hugged her and kissed her hair gently. Giggling, they leaned back but stayed near each other. Artie moved so his chin rested on the injured girl's shoulder and Tina went to rewet the cloth.

Santana knelt down in front of Rachel and threw her arms around her neck, "Hudson is so lucky I didn't go Lima Heights all over him."

Giggling, Rachel nuzzled her nose into the girl's shoulder. Santana stood up and with a final kiss to the cheek, stepped back into Mike's arms.

Kurt was the next to step forward, "I am so sorry, honey. I never thought he would do that. Don't worry. I will be telling Carol about this when I get home tomorrow." He hugged her and brushed a hand over her head before going back to stand with Mercedes.

"Matty?" Rachel said, looking up through her eyelashes at the jock.

He knelt down in front of her, "Yeah, babe?"

"Can you go see if I have any painkillers? My head really hurts…" She pouted. He nodded and kissed the top of her head before grabbing Brittany's hand and heading towards the bathroom to search for some Advil.

Puck was looking at the ground angrily when his tiny diva caught sight of him.

"Noah, look at your hands!" She exclaimed, standing up and walking towards him. She only made it a few steps before she stumbled, holding her head in pain. Puck grabbed her and cradled her in his arms gently while her head rested on his collarbone. He sat down next to Artie on the couch with Rachel and gently laid her down so her head rested on Artie's lap and the rest of her was curled on his lap.

"Sorry, sweetheart, no moving for you yet. Don't worry about me. My hands are fine. You're the one with the head injury," Puck gently told her, running his hand along her spine as she curled into him. Artie's fingers softly threaded through her hair as she drifted into sleep.

Kissing her forehead, Puck looked down at Rachel before looking back up at the other guests, "Hey guys, let her sleep. Turn on a movie or something but be quiet. She's had a hard day."

Mercedes stepped in front of the couch, "White boy, we love that girl in your arms right now. She's family. And we are staying. Don't act like you don't expect that."

Puck smiled sheepishly and linked his fingers with Rachel's. He leaned his head back on the couch and found himself falling into a deep sleep, thoughts of the tiny diva on his mind.


End file.
